The Orange Incident
by Grace-Logan
Summary: When the Hunters are gathered by the Zodiac's for an announcement, a shocking discovery is made and a weakness is revealed.


It was a rare gathering of Hunters from across the world. Every single one of them had dropped what they were hunting and gathered at the summons of the Zodiacs. Every one of them. Hisoka could even spot Illumi's Gittarackur disguise settling in the first row as he entered the auditorium.

They were a rowdy bunch when gathered together like this. Almost a party before they got down to whatever had brought them all here. Objects thrown across the auditorium at friends. Good natured arguments breaking out between Hunters no matter the generation. Hisoka had found that things tended to stay close knit in the community.

Glancing around searched for a way down to Illumi through the chaos increasing around him. Already there was bits and pieces of a few of the chairs flying across the room. Crumbled step rubble lining the stairs. He wondered if this announcement couldn't have been made over the Hunter website. Two Hunters were even throwing fruit at each other. A conjurer conjuring the projectiles and his opponent flinging back what survived contact.

Hisoka kept an eye on them as he passed. Unfortunately missing the orange that flew wide until it was too late to consciously move out of the way. Reflex was what saved him the humiliation of having orange explode over his face. But it did nothing to stop the orange bursting on impact with his palm and showering him in bits and pieces of orange insides and juice.

He could feel it come on immediately. His palm burning as the juice got into his wound and spread through his blood stream. Like the beat of a drum he felt the world tilt and narrow as dizziness set in. His throat constricted, air wheezing past in short bursts as he dropped to his knees and hunched over. Completely immobilised. He wasn't sure what was worse. That his allergy had incapacitated him so immediately, or that it had happened before the eyes of every hunter in the Hunter community. Some of which very much wanted to hurt him and would probably take this chance to do so.

To the rest of the room, the incident had stopped them all in their tracks before it had even happened. Shock and fear taking hold as the orange flew for Hisoka. Who knew how he would react. He was a mystery in a mystery behind an illusion of a mystery. He could laugh it off, threaten to kill them, actually kill them, pull fruit from somewhere and throw it back. With Hisoka, you never could guess.

Then, the shock turned to horror as Hisoka stumbled and fell almost immediately after. Hand clenched shut. Breath coming in harsh rasps and coughs. Opportunity didn't even cross their minds through the terror of seeing that man brought down by something so mundane. But of course, the mundane was his weakness.

Gittarackur was the first to his side despite coming from the other side of the room. His jaunty movements seemed to irritate him as he tried to communicate with Hisoka. Calling his name and trying to get him to turn over so he could get a look at what was happening. When Hisoka stayed stubbornly in place he snatched up Hisoka's hand and pried it open to reveal a horrible swelling rash burning up his arm.

"Of all things Hisoka." He hissed. He gathered Hisoka into his arms and shot to his feet without regard for Hisoka's sickness. He froze when Hisoka smacked a hand to his own mouth with a despairing moan, threatening to vomit. Illumi moved off smoothly, trying to jostle Hisoka as little as possible so as to not get spewed on, when he realised he didn't know where the closest medical center was.

He glared at the people who'd been throwing the fruit, they gulped, terrified they were going to die.

"Where can I find medical facilities?" He demanded. The two were shaking under his dead gaze. Wracking their brains for any iota of information that could be useful as Hisoka's condition visibly degraded. His hand now swelled and red with hives up to his elbow. They couldn't tell if he'd passed out yet but his breath was shallow, rapid and wheezing still. Vaguely they remembered the orientation of the building. From this room they were sure there was a medical bay close by.

"O-out that way and left I think." One stuttered, only to be pierced by Illumi's dark glare.

"You think."

"I know! I know it is! Right down the hall. Left down the hall and left at the corner. Then it's on the right side!" He cried. Illumi narrowed his eyes at the man, who looked about to plead for his life on his knees, then nodded and took off faster than was probably safe for the cleanliness of either of them.

He blew past the Zodiac's on his way out. Ignoring their shouts of surprise and cusses and bolted for the specified location. For the sake of that Hunters continued existence, he better be right about the medical bay.

Flying around the corner he felt Hisoka heave. Thankfully, no bodily fluids escaped but Illumi knew they now didn't have long until they did. Barely seconds later and he was bursting into the medical bay and depositing Hisoka on the available bed. He set the trash bin right by Hisoka's head and rummaged through the closets and cupboards.

A knock on the door frame had him spinning to find Leorio leaning there, arms crossed, briefcase by his feet, watching Hisoka.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked, as though discussing the weather. Illumi glanced between them, unsure how much he was allowed to tell. Hisoka seemed to like the man well enough, but he hadn't shared this weakness even with him despite it being so dangerous. Illumi found himself conflicted. Hisoka was useful and he didn't know how to help him. Leorio might but he wasn't sure Hisoka wanted this out in the world more than it already was. Given he was here, however, he probably already had the run down on what had occurred from the other Hunters.

"I'm sure you've already been told. He's reacted to an orange."

Leorio hummed, grabbed his briefcase and moved to Hisoka's side. He set it down on the opposite side of the trash can and began to examine him. He picked up his hand, turned it this way and that, peering at the rash now just past his elbow, and poked and prodded at the hives and the small cut crossing Hisoka's palm, now red and swollen and as sore looking as the rest of his arm.

"Behind you in the mirror cabinet there should be a bottle of saline, a clear liquid, transparent bottle. Get it for me so I can clean off the residue." He tilted Hisoka's head back and peered down his throat, frowning and gently returning him to a comfortable position before Illumi was handing him the bottle and stepping back.

Leorio held Hisoka's arm out over the side of the bed and doused it, thoroughly, in saline. He rubbed it into the cut and sprayed it some more, drenching the floor he knelt on without care.

"Hisoka's allergic to oranges?" He asked, flicking open his case and taking out a thick pen like object. He yanked off the cap and dropped it, slid down Hisoka's trousers and stabbed him with the needle.

"I don't know. We have a business relationship not a personal one. He's never mentioned it and it's never come up before."

"You jumped in pretty quick for a business relationship."

"He's a useful asset." Illumi snapped, "Are you going to help him or analyse our relationship?"

Leorio ignored him as he rolled Hisoka onto his side and hitched him up so he could breathe easier. Hisoka grunted at him and tried to shove him away but the reaction had drained him completely. He was weak as a kitten… Maybe a cub of a big cat… A really big cat… So he still had power to spare, but he was still easily over powered by putting in a modicum of effort.

"He should be fine for now. Give him an hour to recover. If he relapses come and find me. I've gotta go back to the conference. If he's lucid before then, then just bring him back in."

And with that, he was done. Repacking his briefcase and out the door in under a minute. Was the conference genuinely that important? Why had they been called here today?

#

Forty minutes later and Hisoka was good to go. He was in a black mood. Outwardly bouncing back from sickness as though it had never happened. His throat was hoarse, still swelled enough to make talking a pain. His arm was still red but no longer covered in hives nor swollen at the mouth of his wound. It obviously still bothered him some, he itched at it absentmindedly and glared at his arm as though he wanted to remove it. Illumi wouldn't have put it past him to do so, so he reconciled to keep a close eye on Hisoka for now. Whilst they were together at least.

By the time they'd made it back to the auditorium they appeared to only just be starting the conference. The Zodiacs all stood on stage and were running through the end of the greeting speech, thanking them all for putting a hold on their activities and coming to headquarters in such a timely manner.

Cheadle stuttered when she spotted them entering, drawing attention to their previously unnoticed arrival. Murmurs flooded the auditorium. All eyes flitting between Illumi and Hisoka with concern. They were expecting someone to die for this.

Hisoka, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a card and a black texta. He leant on Gittarackur's back, to his visible ire, and wrote quickly. He checked his note, capped his texta and held up the sign whilst flipping off the Hunters who had set off his allergies.

I could have died from that.

Was written in his fancy calligraphic script. He then infused the card with his Nen and sent it flying at the one responsible for throwing the fruit his way. The man was lucky Hisoka still wasn't at the top of his game or he would have beheaded. As it stood, he got a minor slice across his throat equivalent to severe cardboard cut and that was the end of it.

Hisoka was no longer interested in him and was moving down the aisle to the seat Illumi had taken before. It had remained empty, as had the one beside it. Illumi hovered at his side the entire time. Faltering only once as they passed by Killua and his baby brother had the audacity to suggest that he had a, afriendship with Hisoka. He was a business partner. He was skilled enough to be difficult to replace. Nobody could live up to what Hisoka brought to the table for him.

With a look the zodiac got on with her speech, though no one was listening much. They couldn't have been given the amount of gossiping going on. It was only when she got to the introduction of the reason they'd been called together, that they settled enough to be mostly paying attention and let Hisoka fade into the background.

 **A/N: Cheers for reading this far ;)**

Possibly not the most accurate depiction of anaphylactic shock. I don't have allergies myself so I googled what I could. Obviously it's not how you would fully treat someone going into anaphylactic shock.

Of course, if they have one, stab them with the epi-pen but they're not fine afterwards, or so I've read. Always call an ambulance or take them to the hospital.

That's a good idea. Leave it to the professionals.

Except the epi-pen, that appears to be something you must do immediately or very soon after the reaction begins.


End file.
